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Childcare Bill

This theme has percolated much of the debate. I confess that I am much more sanguine about the provision than some of my colleagues, many of whom have focused on the word ““taught””. I am keen to close down this part of the argument, and I would like to suggest that the real problem in clause 41 lies in its use of adult language to describe things that we hope very young kids will be able to do. We are not seeking to create mini-intellectuals, but the problem lies in the Bill’s use of such phrases as"““knowledge and understanding of the world””" to describe circumstances applicable to nought to five-year-olds.